A eftist former student leader has stormed to a resounding victory to become Chile’s president-elect.
With nearly 97% of the vote already counted, Gabriel Boric claimed 55.8% to take a 12 percentage point lead over his far-right opponent, José Antonio Kast, an ultra-conservative father of nine, who quickly accepted his defeat and called Boric to congratulate him.
“I would like to thank the millions of Chileans who believed in us,” said Kast on stage outside his campaign headquarters. “Gabriel Boric can count on us,” he concluded.
Boric was due to address expectant crowds on Sunday night, with the air split by the sound of car horns and the jubilant chants of his supporters who have thronged the street corners, plazas and wide boulevards of downtown Santiago. » | John Bartlett in Santiago | Sunday, December 19, 2021
